Photoshop: STORYTELLING IN YOUR SCI-FI ART

Art director Carlo Arellano breaks down his design process as he illustrates a science fiction environment with a sense of adventure

- Carlo Arellano

This concept is part of a personal project that combines the pioneering spirit of the American West with an alien planet of rugged beauty. The brief for myself was a small Western-style military outpost with the clean and idealistic design of late-60s science fiction. Storytelling is incredibly important, and with every design I approach it with an acronym: F.A.C.T.S.

I start with F, where form follows function. The ship is able to re-enter the atmosphere like a shuttle and land like a helicopter, so a flattened airfoil shape with some large VTOL engine nacelles are in order. Next, A for archetype: those recurring themes in storytelling that have the ability to communicate recognizable ideas, like a wizard or cowboy. In this case, the archetype is the outpost.